Sighted Surgery Video

Jennifer Matthews: This fluroscope is the star of the hybrid operating room. The camera's moving X-rays and a special dye guide cardiologists through angioplasties and stents. And now, cardiac surgeons are using it during bypass surgeries to see how they're doing. Dr. John Byrne helped develop the idea of using these moving X-rays during bypass surgeries in the OR, that's when corrections can still be made, before a patient is sewn back up. He calls it sighted surgery. Dr. John Byrne: Ultimately it's going to be better for the patient. It's going to transform otherwise high-risk operations into lower-risk operations. Jennifer Matthews: Cardiologist David Zhao helped create this state-of-the-art suite, which combines equipment for open heart surgery with technology for coronary intervention. Bob Metry: My recovery couldn't be going any better. Jennifer Matthews: Bob Metry was the first patient in the hybrid OR. His angiogram let Dr. Byrne check how his triple bypass was going, a surgery that has at least 90 points for errors to occur. Bob Metry: I felt like it's something that should've been done all along. I felt very safe and very secure. Dr. John Byrne: It will become the standard of care. In five years, I think we will not be able to imagine a world in which we do not have a camera in a cardiac surgery operating room. Jennifer Matthews: Dr. Byrne says up to 12% of all bypass surgeries fail early, but that number will likely drop when more doctors perform these sighted surgeries. This is Jennifer Matthews reporting.

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